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The Weird Week in Review

Office Fridge Sends Seven to Hospital

An office worker in San Jose, California decided to clean out the workplace refrigerator on Tuesday. The old food was taken out and placed on a table. The smell of the rotting food, combined with disinfectants used to clean the refrigerator were no noxious that the building was evacuated and a hazmat team was called! 28 people were treated for nausea and vomiting. The worker who was doing the cleaning was unaware of the sickening fumes. She can't smell because of allergies.

Paragliding Police

Officers of the Palm Bay Police Department in Florida keep an eye on a large area by using motorized paragliders! The vehicles and training cost $10,000 per officer, which is cost-effective compared to using helicopters. And they have other benefits.*Chief Berger sees the gliders as an ideal tool for searching for missing elderly people who have wandered away.*
"The problem with helicopters is you can't go below 1,000 feet," said Berger. "The canopy of trees in our community prevented the helicopter from seeing a woman who had [died] close to her car. The paragliders would have been able to get much lower."

Woman Defends Home with Bowl of Chili

When thieves broke into her home and demanded prescription medicine, 58-year-old Wanda Bray of Claiborne County, Tennessee used what she had to fight them with: a bowl of chili and some household objects. She threw the bowl of chili at the two men and chased them with a broom. The two men fled the home. Fabian Moore and Tommy Wayne Garrett were arrested later along with Samuel Partin, the alleged getaway driver. Moore and Garrett were later linked to an armed robbery at a convenience store in the area.

Snake Attacks from Toilet Bowl

An unidentified 51-year-old man in Taiwan got a nasty surprise when he sat on the toilet in his home near Taipei. A snake reached up and bit his penis. He is under medical care for a minor injury, and will be observed for possible infection. The snake has been tentatively identified as a rat snake.

"White African American" Suspended from Medical School

Paulo Serodio, a former student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey says he is the victim of discrimination after he was suspended from school for "unbecoming conduct". The controversy stems from a class discussion in which Serodio described himself as a "white African American." Serodio was born in Mozambique and immigrated the the US. Some class members were offended that Serodio would describe himself as African American. According to Serodio, this incident led to harassment which included assault and damage to his car. The final straw was when the school suspended him.

Man vs Cat in The Great Race

Martin Humphreys of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England has a one-eyed cat named Midge he adopted from a rescue center 12 years ago. For five years now, Midge has accompanied Humphreys on his daily run and hates to finish behind him. Humphreys won Â£1,000 in a workplace competition to make a short film about the racing cat.*The result, The Great Race, has been selected for the Short Film Corner at Cannes and Mr Humphreys, who wrote, directed and penned the theme song for the eight-minute production, is flying out to the French Riviera to show it to Hollywood executives. It is believed to be the lowest budget offering at the festival "“ the opening night film, Pixar animation Up, cost $150 million to make.

Man Learns of Wife's Affair via Porn DVD

A man in Taiwan identified only as Mr. Lee purchased a pornographic DVD in 2002. As he watched the scenes taken at a hotel, he recognized his own wife in bed with one of his friends! The video had been taken without their knowledge by a hidden camera. Lee divorced his wife. The friend left the village. In 2008, Lee spotted his former friend in 2008 and, apparently still angry, stabbed him in the leg. Lee was arrested on Tuesday for causing bodily harm.

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Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)